The VLOOKUP function in Excel

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The VLOOKUP function in Excel is used to search for a value in the first column of a table and return a value in the same row from a specified column.

Syntax of VLOOKUP

VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

Parameters

  1. lookup_value: The value you want to search for.
  2. table_array: The range of cells that contains the data (including the column with the lookup value).
  3. col_index_num: The column number (starting from 1) in the table from which to retrieve the value.
  4. range_lookup: (Optional) TRUE for an approximate match, or FALSE for an exact match.

Example of VLOOKUP

Imagine you have the following data in cells A1 to C4:

A B C
ID Name Department
101 Alice Sales
102 Bob Marketing
103 Charlie IT

Use Case

You want to find the name of the employee with ID 102.

Formula

In another cell, you would use:

 
=VLOOKUP(102, A2:C4, 2, FALSE)

Explanation

  • 102 is the lookup_value (the ID you're searching for).
  • A2
     
    is the table_array (the range that contains your data).
  • 2 is the col_index_num (you want to return the value from the second column, which is the Name).
  • FALSE specifies that you want an exact match.

Result

This formula will return Bob, as he is the employee with ID 102.

Notes

  • If the lookup_value is not found, VLOOKUP will return an #N/A error.
  • VLOOKUP can only search from left to right (the lookup value must be in the first column of the table array).
  • For more advanced lookup needs, consider using INDEX and MATCH or XLOOKUP in newer versions of Excel.
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